History of the Galaxy, part 1-Story Thread

[sachmo]

Yikes! Nice job by the intel boys...too bad no one listened at first!

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by sachmo:
Yikes! Nice job by the intel boys...too bad no one listened at first!

Ain't that how it always happens though?

[Jmenschenfresser]

2419.7
Raeghar's Demise

The great metal bLast door to Governor Pellwain's inner office slid open silently. A face she knew well walked solemnly into the room holding a disk before his person as if it were holy or royal. Pellwain looked up at her personal guard and lover, Gulkar, knowing full well her face looked hollow and pale.

"Have you seen the latest reports?" Gulkar asked?
She just nodded.
"The remnant of the Guarding Fleet is heading to rendevous with the incoming Moon Templars. Surely their combined might will not let this...this horror remain."
"My brother is dead, Gulkar. What is left is only the dream before death. Is that?..."
"Yes, Pellwain. Your brother's book, incomplete, The History of the Norak."
"My brother would never leave anything incomplete."

He handed her the disk and left the office. Now was the time for sober, independent thought...not tearful remorse. He left and headed straight for a barrel of booze.

Pellwain set the disk into the read and within seconds her brother's manuscript popped up before her eyes. He'd sent it to a friend on Xiban with the instructions to send it to her in case of his death. She quickly flipped to the Last page and began reading.

"We've passed into Sallega space. I smell death. Our fleet quickly dispatched an aging guard standing over the warp point his teeth revealed like a primitive unaware of his certain death. Of course the poor crew knew they were going to die, but they fought for their homeworld. I watched from the bridge, and after it was over I returned to my quarters and balled my eyes out. Their death, not the thousands in Cephedri, a system stained from end to end with blood, was the turning of a key to a door that cannot be closed. 'The belly of the beast,' he's said. The heart of the Sallega empire was not the reference, but the heart of the Norak empire. The closer we come to ultimate destruction, the bloodier our right hand becomes, the closer our left is to pricking the wall of our own black heart.

"We had little information coming into Narcisston. Apparently, there's a large fleet stationed over a distant planet. I am not sure if it is headed this way. I sit most of the day in my office talking to Elgart, my assistant, praying and meditating.There's little to do. Few of the crew come to see us. The Tribunals have taken the salt out of our religion. It is more a law of government than spiritual volition and obedience.

"Jumping quickly from planet to planet our fleet destroyed two of their worlds. I again watched from the bridge as our beams ignited their atmospheres. There was little resistance. As the fleet then began its journey to the third Sallegan world, the distant fleet was now just two sectors away and on an intercept course. Fleet commander Igar-Fil decided it best to try and flank the fleet, so we redirected to the Sallegan homeworld near the warp point leading into Organtrix.

"That night I had a dream, and in my dream I relived the ancient Plain's Wars of Xiban our homeworld. I saw as we rode great terara beasts into battle. We rode for their center. I listened and heard the might of our force as it rumbled over the rolling hills. Dust covered the size of our onrush. Primitive cries roared above the thunder of our attack. I felt that were we to stop we might well carve a gorge into the country side. I saw then the front lines of the enemy...yards back from where they were just minutes ago. We rode into what was effectively a corral of guns and cannons. I saw then the wings of our mighty calvary veer off and flee, and that brought me great distress. I watched as those brave idiots who rode into the trap fell in waves, their great beasts howling from the triple digit wounds they received before their thick hides and outer layers of bone could protect them no more. And the great attacker. The conquerer. The Kings of the North dwindled and warred amongst themselves to the point of chaos. No one lived but those who fled. And I saw them grow old and die in lands hewed by their own hands.

"I awoke and knew our time was at hand. I ran straightway to Elgart's bed and woke him. The Sallega fleet was not far off when I finally got him into a shuttle pod. In the two months I'd known him, I had grown fond of the young monk. Perhaps this was my Last deed. The Order was on the verge of extinction and I knew someone had to see and survive. Someone had to lead the Order and the Faith into the era beyond. I, Raeghar, having given two decades to the expansion and population of the galaxy must stay the course and ride in with the great warriors. With me dies the old order.

"So I gave Elgart a faked transfer and an excuse that one of the mine sweeper's priests had taken ill. I knew there would be no time for him to return before the battle. I pray I have done the right thing.

Pellwain closed the file. The words of her dead brother left her eyes dry. 'There's nothing to lament' she thought. She stood and looked out of her window at the city below. Her brother was right. The Continuum and the Sallegan Empire would not survive this. All that mattered was protecting the future. Deep inside Farzah space, she knew here they could hide. She could hide her millions from the destruction of the 'old order.' She turned quickly, hit three keys on the comm pad and waited for the ever grumpy voice of the Lord of Knoglam of the Farzah.

[Ragnarok]

Good story. Keep it up.

[geoschmo]

The Sallegan Republic had seemed a mighty empire. This was an impression that the Republic did it's best to reinforce in it's neighbors whenever possible. By stationing many ships in conspicuous locations throughout the border systems, and by sending scout ships to the far reaches of the quadrant they gave the impression of strength. But in fact this strength was a lie. The Republic was a bubble. Once popped, it contracted with a startling rapidity.

By making many treaties with the other empires, and by making constant and aggressive efforts to maintain the stability of the quadrant, it gave the Sallegans an air of authority and statesmanship with the other races. In fact the Republic depended heavily on the trade income from these treaties, and it's diplomatic efforts were simply a struggle for self preservation.

They were particularly dependant upon the good graces of the Norak. The treaty with the Norak accounted for almost 18% of the GDP of the Republic at the height of their growth, shortly before the first battle of Cephredi.

The Sallgans had been boxed in to their small part of the quadrant, an unable to expand and colonize. All the worlds they found early in their existence had been either occupied, or claimed by others. They could not take these worlds openly, as this would show them to be an aggressive imperialistic race, and force the others to band together early and eliminate them. And when they were provoked, by the Xi'Chung and the Sergetti into wars, the Norak were always there. Snapping up the best worlds that the Sallegans had fought to open up before they could get there.

The result of all this was that whenever the Sallegans did manage to expand a bit, the Norak were expanding right along with them. And when they were not able to expand, the Norak still grew. Not being able to compete economically, they attempted to compete militarily. But any accountant can tell you can't do one without the other.

When the end came it came quickly...

Year 2415.0

Captain Dravis Josephsen of the S.S.S. Ushphada was the ranking member of the Sallegan Space Service. He didn't know it for sure, but he suspected it. His ship had been part of the fleet tasked to finally bringing an end to the scourge of the Sergetti Empire in the eastern systems. He had actually been fourth in command of the fleet, but when the fleet was pounced by the Norak on the way back to Sallegan space the Admiral Grover's and Captain Robertson's ships had been destroyed. That left him in charge.

In fact, as there was currently no civilian authority still operating on any planet in the republic, the rioting was that complete, he was the ranking authority in the once mighty Sallegan Republic.

The call had come when they were just 3 days short of the eastern most Sergetti world. Tensions had been high, and Admiral Grover was not happy about being so far away from Sallegan space with things as hot as they were. When the broadcast came that the Norak had attacked and destroyed the fleet in Cephredi, Grover ordered the eastern fleet to make for home at top speed. The Sergetti were left to their own devices, they weren't the real threat anymore, as if they had ever been.

When the combat occurred in the Nizzarum system between the Sallgean and Norak forces, it was one of the few successes of the war for the Republic. Unfortunately the success was brief, and the heavy losses had put Captain Josephsen in charge.

About that time the Space Service went off the air. The Last communication received from the Narcisston system was that the Norak had glassed several colonies and were approaching the Homewolrd with a large force. The worst was assumed. Billions of Sallegans dead, the homewolrd a radioactive ruin.

The initial plan was for a fighting withdrawal through the Norak colonies in Usphada and to hopefully make it to the former Xi'Chung homeworld and to link up with any remaining stragglers from Narcisston and make a Last stand there. This plan was successful initially as the Nizarum and Usphada systems were lightly defended by the Norak. The fleet fought there way through several engagements, taking losses, but always being victorious. They were taking a big chunk out of the eastern part of the Norak empire. However shortly before reaching Organtrix, they received a message from the Xi'Chung homeworld, from some organization calling themselves the Xi'Chung liberation organization. They had resumed control of their planet and had signed a treaty with the Norak.

That left only one planet in the entire Sallegan Republic with more population greater than 100 million people. And it fell the next month. Josephsen knew they were whipped, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He was considering his options with his officers when they received a signal from the Norak requesting their surrender. The Norak representative that came aboard his ship gave the captain proof that the Norak had not in fact glassed the homeoworld. Many smaller colonies had unfortunately been lost, on both sides. But the bulk of the Sallegan race was still alive, and though they were now under the authority of the Norak, that was better then being dead Josephsen thought.

His men agreed, for the most part. It was one thing to give your life in a hopeless cause to exact revenge for the deaths of your entire family. But it was quite another to throw your life away when you could simply stop fighting and go home to that family, quite alive and well.

The flags were transferred, and the sun set on the Sallegan Republic for the Last time.

[Ragnarok]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
the sun set on the Sallegan Republic for the Last time.

*Tear*... So sorry to see your empire gone man. It was a great story. But I still look forward till the VERY end of the game. How many empires are left now?

[geoschmo]

There are four players left, and a few AI. I believe the game is reaching a conclusion of sorts. I have at least one more story post myself as I have some loose ends to tie up. Not sure about the other guys. Mensch and I have already begun plans for the next game, which will have more people in it from the start.

Geoschmo

[sachmo]

Me! Me!

[dumbluck]

Will this new game be a standard gold game? Will non-stock races be accepted?

[ July 30, 2002, 10:26: Message edited by: dumbluck ]

[geoschmo]

It won't be proportions. That slows down population and empire growth too much. We wan't the game to Last a while, but we wan't stuff happening too.

We don't want to change the nature of SEIV, just push the endgame back some. I think the two things that bring about the endgame are typically lack of room to expand, and running out of stuff to research. We are just going to tweak some stuff to help with that. It could be as simple as dropping the number of points a research facility generates, but it could be more complex as well. We are still working on that stuff.

Geoschmo